The location is 480 Main St., across the street from the First Baptist Church. The opening and ribbon-cutting will be held Friday, Dec. 9 from 6-8 p.m. The shop will be open through Dec. 23, Thursday – Sunday from 12–8 p.m. It will be open on Saturday, Dec. 24 from 12–6 p.m.

The gift shop will feature the work of over 22 local artists including paintings, photography, greeting cards, jewelry, crafts, CDs, books, food products, and fashion accessories. The Malden Reads main book and companion book selections will also be on sale.

The initiative, called “Malden Pops Up!”, has been a collaborative effort involving citizen artists and city officials working with the owner/developer of 480 Main St. to support the local arts community and make this creative activity possible.

According to Ose Schwab, “Chief Instigator” of Malden Creates, LLC, one of the team’s organizers, the plan was a grassroots initiative.

“It began with an email from local artist Lisa Sears, who saw a clipping in the Observer about the empty commercial space at 480 Main,” Schwab said. “She shared it with her artist friends and suggested how nice it would be to have an art center or gallery there.”

The idea resonated with other arts activists and was floated to Ryan O’Malley, City Councilor for Ward 4 (where the building is located). He strongly encouraged the group to consider ways to make this dream a reality. The group decided that a holiday pop-up shop that sold items by local artists would test the waters for the possibility of an arts-related space.

A number of artist volunteers attended a Malden Arts board meeting on Nov. 17 to talk about the idea and whether it was possible to do it in time for the holidays. O’Malley (who is also a Malden Arts board member) and others on the board agreed it was worth pursuing.

Malden Arts is a volunteer citizen group interested in supporting artists and art projects in Malden. It is entering its 11th year of existence. Some of its past projects include placing local artists’ work into downtown store windows (Window Arts Malden) and coordinating the “switchbox project,” which has produced a wonderful collection of painted switchboxes throughout the community.

“Malden Pops Up!” volunteers reviewed the available space at 480 Main St. and discussed what would need to happen to have a viable store filled with the work of local artists. Candace Julyan, who is a member of the Malden Arts board, described how quickly the plans developed after that.

“By the time we held our next meeting on Nov. 25, we had a 'Malden Pops Up!' logo created by Elena Martinez (a Malden-based graphic designer), a plan for soliciting artwork, a series of committees for completing the needed tasks, and a unified sense of purpose,” said Julyan.

The project received an enthusiastic response from city representatives including Christopher Webb (Director of Permits, Inspections and Planning Services), O’Malley, the Mayor’s office and others. City staff helped facilitate contact with the DSF Group, the owners of the commercial space. Soon after, DSF Group opened its doors for an inspection and a temporary Certificate of Occupancy was issued for Malden Pops Up! The 480 Main property is brand new, with construction completed earlier this year.

“The interior is really just a shell, but by the time of the grand opening, it will look much like a boutique shoppe: elegant, eclectic, and inviting," Schwab said last week. "Gifts will range from high end to very affordable. Given that it is a pop-up, there will be temporary fixtures but to the best of our ability, we will make it look like a real, legitimate, aesthetically pleasing retail space."

Schwab added that the pop-up plans to host performances in the space during retail hours, featuring local musicians and other performing arts.

For more information about “Malden Pops Up!” visit the Malden Arts website at maldenarts.org or Malden Creates at maldencreates.com.